Three techs tools and a site for the new school year.

Three techs and a site for the new school year.  Learn just one of these tech tools and you be glad you did.

1. Screencasting –
1. Screencasting is also called screencapture. The idea is to record your computer screen and your voice to demonstrate something. but instead of trying to hold a video camera while running your computer the computer does the recording for you.  – example http://www.screenr.com/Jj8s
2. why-
1. make a screencast (sc) explaining the basic guidelines of class.
2. if you already have a sc for insturctions on assignments or procedures when you get new students or students who forgot or were gone, – send them to the computers to watch the screencast.
3. Make a sc to show how to turn stuff in.
4. Make a sc for re-occuring assignments and ec opportunities.
5. Make a sc for computer assignments – explain and demo the computer project
6. When you are having a tech issue and need help to figure it out. Rather than trying to type out the details of your situation, you can screencast it and send the link to your friend or tech help.
3. Suggestions –
1. If you don’t like your voice – GET OVER IT. The tool is to valuable and effective to let the sound of your voice get in the way. The people who will be watching your screencast already know your voice anyway.
2. The screencast doesn’t need to be perfect! Just because you miss-pronounce a word doesn’t mean you need to re-record. People will understand what you are trying to say.
4. Different screencasting programs
1. www.screencast-o-matic.com Screencast-o-matic
2. www.screenr.com Screenr
3. http://www.techsmith.com/jing/ Jing
4. Jing requires a download. The other 2 are internet based.
2. Google Docs
1. What is the basic idea of google docs? http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Google_Docs_in_Plain_English&video_id=9618
2. Why
1. Paperless assignments https://sites.google.com/a/googleapps.com/edu-training-center/Training-Home/module-4-docs/chapter-3/9-1
2. Students collaborate together on assignments. How to share a google doc. https://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=86152
3. collaborate with teachers on the same document without emailing
4. google forms surveys and quizzes.
1. google forms allows you to make surveys like this. https://spreadsheets0.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dExDZERUNU1mNnlGN2dDTm5uWW9yYkE6MQ
2. And get results like this – https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkkZb3JUuzBcdExDZERUNU1mNnlGN2dDTm5uWW9yYkE&hl=en_US
3. You can insert a question asking the name of the people who responded.
4. Google forms are great because all the answers of the responders are stored on one spreadsheet.
5. Google forms can also be used to create a selfgrading quiz. – Meaning the quiz grades itself.
1. method 1 http://www.robinstechtips.com/?p=394
2. method 2 http://tinyurl.com/4yv6zdl
3. method 3 http://rpollack.net/2008/09/self-grading-multiple-choice-tests-with-google-docs/

3. World Educators Collaboration Network (WECN)
1. WECN is an internet based tool that has the ability to connect with educators across the planet.
1. you can connect with just a few or thousands it is up to you
2. collaboration can be cross curricular or just your area of interest.
3. you can get sameday feed back on ideas.
4. you can get new ideas coming in every hour for ways to improve your classroom or teaching methods, as well as great tech tools for teachers and students
5. There are daily and weekly discussions with 100s of different educators about real education topics or problems giving educators many opportunities to give or receive help.
6. Students can also use the WECN to connect with other students in other classrooms across the world.
2. Watch video to learn how to use the WECN http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXf1byoNZ
3. How can the WECN help students?
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkwDHcGscnM
2. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/06/08/twitter.school/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7
4. Educators guide to WECN http://livebinders.com/play/play/34291

4. Other education tools – in mindmap form.
1. This site has many web2.0 tools that can be used in education. So explore and have fun. http://www.mindomo.com/view?m=48511abbfb7e4145a33dbe6453d0f8af